Friday 8 June 2012

Weekend in London - Part 1

Thankyou to Connie and June for becoming my two new followers - welcome to my blog.

Where has this week gone? I know we had a long weekend but somehow it has just slipped away. My weekend was fabulous. We went to London for the Pageant on the Thames and had a wonderful, albeit very wet day. I was going to post some photos but guess like me you are all Jubileed out, so thought you might like some alternative shots of London.

Before we arrived at our hotel in Southwark we spent Saturday morning just walking around the city visiting some of the sights. We were certainly very lucky with the weather, sunshine all day.

We started by visiting St Katharine's Dock - a haven of tranquillity nestled in the heart of the City next to the Tower of London.



The docks are built on a site with over 1000 years of dramatic history and can be traced back to the 10th century. There is evidence of there having been a dock here since 1125 and throughout the ages it has housed a hospital and a monastery. The name has been traced back to Elizabethan times when the area around the hospital was thriving with busy wharves and almshouses.




Today the Marina houses up to 200 luxury yachts and historic barges





And these


After a stroll past the Tower of London we ventured on to the old Port of London Authority Building in Trinity Square. I love architecture and this fine example of Corinthian columns are absolutely stunning.






One of the many wharves that line the River Thames which have been
restored into apartments or shopping malls



This is part of the London Roman Wall which was built around 190 and 220AD and stretched for about three miles from Blackfriars to Tower Hill. This defensive wall protected what was then the important Roman city of Londinium.


After a quick turn-around at our hotel we ventured across the Millennium Bridge towards St Paul's Cathedral and found this lovely old Inn on Ludgate Hill where we stopped for lunch


This is one of the few pubs in london that can justify the 'Ye Olde' in its name. It was well known in the 17th century and prior to that had been a guest house belonging to a 13th century Carmelite Monastery and the vaulted cellars are thought to belong to that building.


 The pub was destroyed in the Great Fire of London of 1666 and rebuilt the following year.


This is the address - don't you love it?



On that note I'll leave you and go and grab a glass! To be continued
tomorrow with our afternoon's jaunts

See you soon x



8 comments:

  1. Ah, proper photographs of London, where someone has taken the time to stand and stare rather than just rushing from A to B!

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  2. Thank you Patricia for taking me to London, I really enjoyed it.Especially St.Catherine's Dock , I spent a lot of hours there ( when I was a wee bit younger :))
    Hugs
    Erna xx

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  3. I've really enjoyed your tour and all your photos! I love the inside of 'Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese'. Looking forward to the next part of your visit:)

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  4. I enjoyed your tour too! I love London and we havent been for a few years.The last time I priced it up it would have cost a small fortune. I would like to go to the National archives at some point to look up an old ancestor's trial details, which I believe are in there.
    I thoroughly enjoyed the jubilee and wouldnt have minded your photos!

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  5. Glad to hear you enjoyed your trip. Lovely photos. Did you see the Griff Rhys-Jones programme the other night, he was on a boat which docked at St Katherine's dock.
    Lisa x

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  6. Great post and photographs, I love wandering round this area of London, it's just stuffed full of history and wonderful old buildings.

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  7. Lovely photos. I look in occasionally, but I don't suppose that makes me a follower!
    Margaret P

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  8. I am seriously overdue a trip to London - your trip looks fabulous. xxxx

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